Goals

I've been wanting to post about my goals for a while. I have put a lot of thought in to how I want to change and become better this year, and have come up with some simple things I can do.

1. Get ready for my day. This means being up, showered, prettied, and studied before my little ones. People who go to work every day wouldn't show up in pajamas, I shouldn't either. (Granted, my job doesn't end at 5, but it's still my goal!)

2. Read 2 books every month. I actually have to read ONLY 2 books! I LOVE to read, to the point I will sometimes ignore my children when I have a really good book!

3. Exercise 3 times a week. I don't know when I will do this as it is cold outside and my husband is gone until 10 every night...any recommendations on workout videos? I'm thinking about Dance the inches off...

I also have some goals for my toddler:

1. Recognize all of her ABC's and 123's.

2. Memorize the 1st four Articles of Faith this year.

3. Work on Social Skills such as taking turns, sharing, and basic conflict resolution. :)

And just for kicks, Goals for my 4 month old:

1. Sleeping through the night

2. Walking

3. Saying "Mama." :)

My Monday to-do list

Every Sunday night I think of all the things I'd like to get done the following week. I always do great on Monday, Tuesday is ok, and the rest of the week kind of goes to pot...

So I'm trying to make myself a little more accountable. Even if I don't get everything done, here are the things to do this week!

Monday

~ Start the cute Valentine's Day Countdown I found HERE. (I love Crystal's Craft Spot, she has my same first name and two little girls!)

~Sign up for classes to get the rest of my points to renew my teaching license.

~Plan Family night with my 2 year old.
~ Wash the white clothing

Tuesday

~Clean the bathroom

~Valentine Activity

Wednesday

~Library story time (check out books on Love)

~Organize the Girl's clothes. (Put away baby's clothes that are too small, get out new clothes)

Thursday

~SISTER'S DAY at my Mom's house: I'm SO excited!

Friday

~Wash light & dark clothes.

Saturday

~Meal plan & grocery shopping.

Julie's Scribbles

You probably already read my sister's blog, if you read this one. But if you don't, I highly recommend checking out this post. It might make you cry. Hopefully it makes you feel something. I think it is so important to support each other and be sensitive, and sometimes to just put our arms around each other. We are mothers and we need all the love we can get! :)

Pink Nothings Giveaway

Pink Nothings is doing a giveaway for Tidy Books Bookcases. Go on over and check it out!

I have a little princess

When we were children, my sisters and I would "fight" over who got to "be" different Disney Princesses. Luckily there were enough to go around. Well, I have a little Cinderbwella at my house. Yesterday morning she wanted to wear her "Cinderbwella dress." (oddly enough, Cinderella is on it, though you have to look hard to see.) I had a hard time getting that dress off her to put her jammies on. Luckily they were Dora jammies (she doesn't know who Dora is, Nickelodian is outlawed in my home, I will not tolerate Sponge Bob). On these jammies, Dora is wearing a blue dress. So I told her that Dora was wearing Cinderella's dress and she looked at her shirt and conceded. 1 point for Mommy.

It's funny that it has taken me so long to figure out how to be a mom to a toddler. I think there are 5 main strategies* that are actually effective (and which I am trying to implement more effectively!):

1. Distraction:
Girl:"I want a cookie."
Me: "Oh, do you hear that garbage truck outside, let's go look."

2. Redirection (kind of similar to #1)
Girl: "I want to watch a movie."
Me: "How about we play with blocks?"

3. Make it a game: (The possibilities are endless with this one, I have to get creative!)
Me: "Where's your hand, oh no, it's hiding, let's find your hand" (while trying to get her dressed.)

4. Give her a job: (again, endless possibilities)
Me: "Can you carry my keys to the car?"

5. Give her a choice between 2 things I'm ok with.
Instead of "Which shoes do you want to wear?" (She will choose sandals in January). I say "Do you want your boots or your purple shoes?" Doesn't always work, but I don't give in if she wants something different, unless it is feasible.

Some things I have found that DO NOT work:

1. Spanking (I have a no-spanking rule that I've broken a handful of times; disastrous!)

2. Time-out. Just doesn't work for a kid as young as my girl, I don't know if I'll ever really use it "you're being bad, get away from me" isn't really the message I want to send.

3. Yelling. I don't really "Yell," but sometimes the tone of my voice is not too respectful. For example, the other night I was reading "The Three Bears" and the Girl kept pointing at everything on the page and talking about it. I was trying to read and got frustrated and told her too sternly to stop. She started crying. I felt like the meanest mom in the world. Not only was I stifling her language and creativity, but I wasn't listening to what was important to her. MEAN! So now I try to let her talk about each page, ask her a question, and then I read it!

At this point I'm working on being consistent and not being too lazy to use the strategies that work. Another strategy that "WORKS": "Hey, I'll give you a candy if you get your coat and shoes on." ha ha!

*I found these strategies from Positive Discipline and made them work for me!*

Wordless Wednesday

Sweet, soft, squishy rolls. So kissable!

W.I.P.

That's: work in Progress...

I always get SO gung-ho about new projects, and then fizzle out. Especially when it doesn't work how I envisioned it. I did all of this in 1 night:


(Front and back of the first page of my quiet book!)

But something's messed up with the tension on my sewing machine, so the muslin keeps making the bobbin thread all screwed up. Anyone know how to fix that?

Anyway, I'm still REALLY excited.

Another, less time-consuming quiet book project is this:




I just went HERE, printed out the pages I wanted on cardstock, and colored, laminated with contact paper, and arranged them so they could be a little activity during church. Pretty easy. I printed 2 of the "I will take care of my body" pages so I could cut out the extra circles for a little matching game. I used hot glue for the velcro, but I need to get some super glue because our friend Little Anthony was able to pull the velcro off! I also made little cards out of the "I can share" page, you normally make a little cube with that handout. You can get really creative with this, even let kids help color and such, and then keep everything in a special bag just for church. That way, they aren't bored of the activities when Sunday comes around. We tried out these pages yesterday, and it entertained my 2 year old for a few minutes, which is more than she'll usually sit still for!! ha ha!

I'm making a quiet book

I've started this project

Wish me luck. I need something to do while DH is out of town over the next few months, and I also need something to keep my 2 year old occupied during church!!

What I've learned about faith.

Do you ever have those moments when you know you need something? Desperately? And so you plead with God to help you and send you the thing you seek? For me, sometimes it's an extra hour of sleep. Or to be relieved from physical pain or sickness. Or that my 2 year old will just calm down.

That's how I know what faith is. Because faith is "not bravado, not just a wish, not just a hope. True faith is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ-confidence and trust in Jesus Christ that leads a person to follow him." (Elder Simmons, May 2004 Ensign). Sometimes you pray with absolute confidence that your prayer will be answered...BUT IF NOT, you know that God will enable you to endure the fatigue, give you strength to overcome the pain, and fortify your patience even when it's hanging by a thread.

I'm glad God reminded me about faith this week. Because I needed to strengthen it. I often think of what Presisdent Henry B Eyring said, that "Faith has a short shelf life." It's true. Unless I'm constantly seeking to increase my faith in Jesus Christ, I may not have the endurance, strength, or patience that I need each day. Motherhood is the most challenging job I have had. But I know that through the enabling power of the Atonement, I can have the faith to persist and happily endure each day!

Out with the advice!

I know I have lots of friends who have had great success in nourishing their babies with formula. I am compiling a little mini-book for my sis, who is expecting a little baby around April. So for all you moms who have things to share, please help me out!! :)

1. What bottles worked best? Is it worth it to go for the expensive kind, or will the cheapest do alright?

2. What bottle nipples are best. Should you change to faster flowing nipples as your baby gets older?

3. What did you do if your baby seemed colicky or had tummy troubles?

4. Which formula did you use? Was there any special reason why you used this formula?

5. Any magic recipes for spit-up stains?

6. How much and how often did your baby eat as a new-born? 3 months? 6? 9?

7. Any other advice you would give a mom-to-be about feeding? Scheduling? Positioning? Amount of formula? Sleeping?

I know that what works for 1 person doesn't work for everyone, but my hope is that we'll get some advice that she can try and figure out what works. That's what being a mom is all about anyway... ;)

How to have a successful Nursing experience.

I have thought a lot about nursing lately. I LOVE it. But I'm not an LLL member. I do think more women could breastfeed if they understood some basics of nursing, if they had more support from family/work/friends/etc...These are just my opinions. ( I highly recommend The Nursing Mother's Companion if you need more info!) :)

So I compiled a little list of basics that I think help with nursing. These ideas probably won't help if you have real problems with milk production, but are things I've found helpful.

1. BE dedicated. If you don't really care about nursing and aren't willing to do it even if it hurts or is hard, then you may not be successful. It's ok if nursing really isn't for you. Do your homework, make an informed decision, and then feel good about what you decide.

2. Let the lactation specialists in the hospital help you. Seriously, they know what they're doing. I nursed my 1st child for 14 months, and still found them to be helpful the 2nd time around.

3. Supply and Demand is important. Your baby most likely does not need formula supplements (unless there are severe medical problems, but your doctor will help you know what to do if nursing is important.) Pump in the hospital, especially if your baby is too sleepy to nurse much. Stimulating with suction helps your body know to produce milk.

4. Don't diet too soon. I'd say the first 8 weeks you shouldn't worry at all about losing weight. Just eat when you're hungry and drink lots of water. When you do start dieting, don't cut too many calories too soon. Cut calories slowly and your milk supply should be fine.

5. Don't train for a marathon. If you don't have enough calories for YOU, then you won't have enough for your baby's milk. Exercise is essential, but don't over do it. Make sure when you exercise that you replace the fluids lost.

6. If you are worried about milk supply, there are lots of things you can do. Pump after each feeding for a few days, or pump in the middle of the night if your baby is sleeping through the night. Fenugreek or mother's milk are good herbal supplements you can find at any health food store that can enhance your milk supply. You can also take hormones, but from what I understand, it's probably better to just use formula (hormones can cause you to have anxiety and depression, which I think is worse for your baby!)

7. Don't feel guilty if it doesn't work. Formula is specially designed to meet your baby's needs. It's not quite as "perfect" as mother's milk, but really, your baby will be just as normal, intelligent, and attached as if you nurse them. It's nobody's business what you feed your baby.

8. Edited to add: Skin to skin contact is a great way to bond and can also help with milk supply. Seriously, even if you think it sounds weird, it works. I sometimes feel sad thinking that I had to wait like 3 hours to nurse my first baby. My second was put right up on my bare chest and she nursed a few minutes later, when she felt like it. I think this helped my 2nd nursing experience go a bit more smoothly.